Appliance for open fireplaces.



Nb. 730,798.- PATENTED JUNB Q, 1903. W. P. RICHARDSON. APPLIANCE FOR OPENFIREPLAGES.

APPLICATION FILED 00129. 1902. H0 MODEL. 2 SHEETS-flHEET 1.

"I I I h] I ll?" w N0 MODEL.

PATBNTED JUNE 9, 1903 w. P. RICHARDSON? APPLIANCE FOR OPEN FIRBPLAGES} APPLICATION FILED 0 015.29. 1902.

2 SHEETS-SHEET z.'

UNITED STATES.

Patented June 9, 1903.

nron.

PATENT APPLIANCE FOR OPEN FIREPLACES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 730,798, dated June 9, 1903. Application filed October 29, I902. $erial No. 129,302. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM P. RICHARD- SON, of the borough of Brooklyn, county of Kings, city and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Appliances for Open Fireplaces, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, wherein- Figure 1 is a front elevation of my improved open fireplace, part of the frame being broken 0E to disclose the arrangement of the foldable screen; and Fig. 2 is a sectional view thereof on lines 2 2 indicated in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the modified construction of my improved fireplace; Fig. 4, a sectional view on line 4 4 indicated in Fig. 3.

My invention relates to the construction of open fireplaces; and it consists of the arrangement and combination, with such fireplaces, of a frame and of a foldable screen mounted therein, the parts of the frame serving also as the inner facing of the fireplace-opening and the screen being so arranged relatively to the outer frame or facing of the fireplaceopening as to slide behind, and the edges of the screen are overlapped and the clearance between them and the inner facing of the fireplace-opening covered by the overlapping parts of the outer frame, whereby the screen is enabled to close the opening of the fireplace partly or entirely and with better effect than such devices heretofore known in the art.

The construction of my improvement and the manner of combining it with the fireplace are shown in the drawings.

The screen is shown in Fig. 1 in a position showing it partly drawn over the open fireplace. This screen is made up of an apron a, having one end thereof secured to the roller 1) and the other (free end) provided with rod 0. The roller is rotatably mounted in bearings (Z, affixed to the side of the fireplace, andis preferably of the kind known as selfwinding rollers, though any ordinary roller provided with means for rotating and holding it immovable may be used. Adjoining the bearings of this roller stop-racks c, one on each end, are secured to the sides of the opening of the fireplace by bolts f. These stop-racks serve as guides for the apron a and for retaining it in position against the pressure of the air. They are set some distance inwardly from the edge of the opening, so'as to leave a clear space between them and frame m for the ends of rod 0, which extend sufliciently beyond the width of apron a to engage with these stop-racks. Stop-racks e are provided with notches g in any desired number and suffioiently wide to admit the ends of rod 0 to be slid in. Apron a may be made of any flexible non-combustible material, preferably of fiexiblewire fabric filled or lined with asbestos. There are other flexible non-combustible materials known which may be used for this purpose; but I consider a flexible wire fabric composed of small meshes hinged together and filled or lined with asbestos-cloth best suited for this purpose. This material also admits of suitable decorations to be made thereon in various ways. For better convenience in handling the screen one or two handles like that shown at hin the drawings may be provided; but these are not essential.

When setting up the screen in front of the fireplace, strip '5, shaped as shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings, may be secured to the upper sill and the stop-racks to the sides of the fireplace-opening. Bearings (Z are made integral with stop-racks e.

Preferably stripi and stop-racks c, with bearings d for the roller, are cast in one piece, thus composing a compact frame, serving also as inner facings of the opening of the fireplace. This construction is shown in Figs. 3 and 4, and I consider it the most economical and efficient manner of applying my invention to fireplaces having openings of standard sizes.

When the component parts of the folded fire-screen are set in place, as described, a frame m is set in position. The outer dimensions of this frame are larger than the dimensions of the opening of the fireplace.

and'also the recess Within the strip 2', where the roller 1) is set, are covered.

I claim as my invention The combination with an open fireplace of an integral frame composed of two side pieces edges of the apron and the side.

fixed on the face of the fireplace adjoining 10 the opening and overlapping the edges of the apron, thus closing the clearance between the VVILLIALWI P. RICHARDSON.

Witnesses:

JOHN A. PAULSON, ROBERT VALENTINE MATHEWS. 

